Industry News
BRANDING
How Ten New or Renovated Venues Are Reshaping The Nation's Touring Circuit
February 22, 2012 – Touring | Legal & Management | Branding
From Brooklyn to Kansas City and points beyond, a wide range of new buildings and freshly renovated veteran facilities are making news and offering new opportunities for touring artists. » Full Story
Beatles Beatles Songs Released As Ringtones on iTunes
February 22, 2012 – Digital & Mobile | Retail | Branding
iTunes today announced that the 27 no. 1 singles on the Beatles' compilation album 1 would be available as 30 second ringtones through the iTunes Store. » Full Story
A2IM A2IM To Produce First Ever Independent Music Awards
February 22, 2012 – Touring | Record Labels | Publishing | Indies | Digital & Mobile | Branding
The A2IM Libera Awards, or "Libbies," are the first awards to be for independents as voted by independents, and will cap off the organization's Indie Week 2012 June 21 with honors such as the Indie Light Bulb and Road Warrior of the Year. » Full Story
Academy-Awards Sergio Mendes Frustrated By No Oscar Best Original Song Performances
February 22, 2012 – Touring | TV & Film | Branding | Latin
Sergio Mendes will attend the Academy Awards on Sunday, but will do so with mixed feelings. He's honored his song "Real in Rio," from the animated movie "Rio," is one of the only two nominated Best Origianl Songs this year, but upset with the show producers' decision not to present the tunes during the telecast. » Full Story
Watch President Obama Sing 'Sweet Home Chicago' With B.B. King, Mick Jagger, Booker T
February 22, 2012 – TV & Film | Branding | Rock & Pop
President Obama last night sang a few frames of "Sweet Home Chicago" during PBS blues special taped at the White House with an all-star band that included B.B. King, Booker T. Jones, Mick Jagger and Derrek Tucks. » Full Story
Entertainment, Other Stocks End Flat After Dow Exceeds Milestone
February 22, 2012 – Record Labels | Publishing | Digital & Mobile | Branding
U.S. stocks, including shares of entertainment conglomerates, finished Tuesday's trading day flattish after initial gains pushed the Dow Jones Industrial Average index above 13,000 for the first time since May 2008. » Full Story
Gorillaz/Andre 3000/LCD's James Murphy's Converse Track: The Story Behind The Song
February 21, 2012 – Global | Retail | Branding
In the most high-profile offering of its "3 Artists. 1 Song" campaign to date, Converse Inc. announced that Gorillaz, LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy and OutKast rapper Andre 300 had teamed up to record an original song for the campaign. » Full Story
Ultra Music Fest Expanding To Six International Sites
February 17, 2012 – Touring | Global | Branding | Dance
The Ultra Music Festival, which has long been an annual event in Miami, is branching out. Ultra today announed  it is expanding the electronic dance music festival to Ibiza, Spain, Warsaw, Poland, Seoul, South Korea and Buenos Aires, Argentina. Ultra expanded to Sao Paolo in 2010. » Full Story
Hugh Masekela: How the Listen 2 Africa Label Is Hooking Up a 73-Year Old Jazz & World Music Heritage Artist
February 17, 2012 – Touring | Record Labels | Global | Indies | TV & Film | Branding | Jazz
Hugh Masekela, the legendary South African flugelhorn and coronet player, has just released "Jubulani," a new album featuring traditional South African wedding songs. The question is, how does a 73-year-old jazz and world music icon reach an international audience in the digital age? Enter Dave Love's new Listen 2 Africa label. » Full Story
Whitney Houston's Colleagues Remember: Don Ienner, Roy Lott, Sylvia Rhone, Wyclef Jean & More
February 17, 2012 – Touring | Record Labels | TV & Film | Branding | Rock & Pop | R&B/Hip-Hop
When Whitney Houston passed on Feb. 11 in Beverly Hills, Calif at the age of 48, she left behind a classic body of work that showcased her powerhouse vocals and included seven mullti-platinum albums. Here, Billboard got in touch with many of the music executives and artists who worked with Houston -- including Don Ienner, Roy Lott, Sylvia Rhone, Wyclef Jean, Melani Rogers  & others -- who shared their fondest memories of the late great singer. » Full Story
Lady Gaga-Affiliated Backplane Raises $4.5 Million in Series A Funding
February 17, 2012 – Record Labels | Digital & Mobile | Branding | Rock & Pop
Backplane, the social media startup based on common interests has raised $4.5 million in fresh funding from prominent Silicon Valley investors, according to reports. The first project out of the gate will be Lady Gaga’s Backplane-powered LittleMonsters.com. Gaga's manager Troy Carter, a Backplane's co-founder,  will be a judge at Backplane's SXSW  “hackathon” along with Scooter Braun (Justin Bieber's manager) and Roc Nation president Jay Brown. » Full Story
Robin Thicke Joins Sharon Jones, Bill Cosby, Keb Mo' at Playboy Jazz Fest
February 17, 2012 – Branding | Jazz
Robin Thicke has been added to the Playboy Jazz Fest lineup, joining the likes of Christian McBride, Sheila E., Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings and host Bill Cosby in Los Angeles. » Full Story
Recording Academy Chief Marketing Officer Evan Greene Talks Grammy Social Strategy
February 17, 2012 – TV & Film | Digital & Mobile | Branding
Heading the Recording Academy's social media push during the Grammys was Chief Marketing Officer Evan Greene, who spoke to Billboard about the pros and cons of a tape-delayed west coast broadcast, their social media goals, and what they've learned from past broadcasts. » Full Story
Will Grammy Ratings Spike Make 2013 Ad Rates Soar?
February 17, 2012 – TV & Film | Digital & Mobile | Retail | Branding
Due in part to the sudden death of Whitney Houston, the Grammy Awards got its biggest audience in almost 3 decades. With ad rates for the Grammys at an all-time high of $800,000 this year, what does that mean for the 2013 awards? » Full Story
Apple's New Mountain Lion OS for Mac to Have iPhone Features
February 17, 2012 – Record Labels | Digital & Mobile | Branding
Mountain Lion, the name for Apple's next generation operating system for Mac, will make their computers more like the mobile devices which now make up the bulk of Apple's sales. » Full Story
Janet Jackson in Preliminary Talks to Join 'The X Factor'
February 17, 2012 – Record Labels | Legal & Management | TV & Film | Branding | Rock & Pop | R&B/Hip-Hop
One week after news broke that Whitney Houston was under consideration for a judge’s seat on the show, reports have surfaced that Janet Jackson could be joining the show following the recent ousters of judges Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger and host Steve Jones. » Full Story
Enrique Iglesias.jpg Enrique Iglesias Returns to Zynga's CityVille
February 17, 2012 – Digital & Mobile | Branding | Rock & Pop | Latin
For the first time ever, social gaming giant Zynga has brought back an entertainer, singer Enrique Iglesias, for a second integration into one of its games. » Full Story
Twitter & American Express.png Twitter Unveils Self-Service Advertising System
February 17, 2012 – Record Labels | Digital & Mobile | Branding
Buying ads on Twitter is about to get easier for small businesses as the online messaging service adds a key piece to its moneymaking model. Twitter is unveiling a long-awaited automated system that will enable advertisers to manage their marketing campaigns and budgets without having to deal with sales representatives. » Full Story
'Spin' to Roll Out Larger Format Magazine, Drop Frequency to Six Times a Year
February 17, 2012 – Record Labels | Publishing | Digital & Mobile | Branding
Following a sharp decline in ad pages, music magazine Spin will now only publish six times a year, but increase its paper size and focus each issue on a single theme. » Full Story
Lionel Richie Taking Country Album, Live Concert, Kenny Rogers to Home Shopping Network
February 16, 2012 – Touring | TV & Film | Retail | Branding | Country
The Home Shopping Network is launching a live concert series on March 16 and they've enlisted Lionel Richie to help kick it off. For the "Say You, Say Me" singer-songwriter, the first "HSN Live" concert is an opportune time and place to perform songs off his upcoming country album, "Tuskegee" and to bring Kenny Rogers with him. » Full Story
Pitbull Pitbull Confirmed For Q&A @ Billboard Latin Music Conference
February 16, 2012 – Branding | Latin
Billboard will host a Q&A with superstar Pitbull as part of the 23rd annual Billboard Latin Music Conference & Awards taking place April 23-26 in Miami, and will talk about both his artistic process and his multiple business ventures and branding alliances at a time when new business has grown to be essential for artistic success. » Full Story
Apple iPads Chinese Authorities Seizing iPads
February 16, 2012 – Global | Legal & Management | Digital & Mobile | Branding
Authorities have seized iPads from retailers in more Chinese cities in an escalating dispute between Apple Inc. and a struggling local company over the trademark for the popular tablet computer, news reports said Thursday. » Full Story
Nicki Minaj, Mary J. Blige, Pitbull Performing at NBA All-Star Game
February 16, 2012 – TV & Film | Branding | R&B/Hip-Hop
The NBA All-Star Game has long been a music star-studded affair, and this year, Nicki Minaj, Pitbull, Mary J. Blige, Ne-Yo and Will.i.am will be among the artists heading to Orlando for the big game. The showdown between basketball all-star teams will air on Feb. 26 on TNT. » Full Story
Grammy Sales Bumps: Adele, Kelly Clarkson, Coldplay Among 20 Grammy-Related Titles in Top 50
February 15, 2012 – Radio | Record Labels | TV & Film | Retail | Branding | Rock & Pop | Country | R&B/Hip-Hop
While Nielsen SoundScan's tracking week ended at the close of business on Sunday night, Feb. 12 -- the same day as the Grammy Awards -- the Billboard 200 chart still got shaken up by the annual ceremony. Adele, Rihanna, Jason Aldean, Jay-Z and Kanye West, Civil Wars, Lil Wayne, Bruno Mars and Lady Antebellum are among the many artists whose album sales jumped following the telecast. » Full Story
Billboard, THR To Provide Music and Entertainment Content To Associated Press
February 15, 2012 – Record Labels | Publishing | Global | Legal & Management | Branding
Sister publications Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter announced today they are making their content available for worldwide use on digital platforms to customers of The Associated Press. » Full Story
How Ana Free Became A YouTube Phenom, Topped Charts, Opened For Shakira Without Label or Mgmt
February 14, 2012 – Touring | Record Labels | Legal & Management | Indies | Digital & Mobile | Branding
Ana Free is a YouTube phenomenon. Without label, manager, booking agent or publisher, this young, entrepreneurial, Anglo-Portuguese artist's online videos have led to chart-topping singles, sold out gigs at clubs in the U.K. and opening for Shakira. And, she has a crowd-sourced debut coming out this spring. » Full Story
adele grammy 617 Exclusive: Adele's Manager Jonathan Dickins Talks Grammys, 2012 Tour Plans, and When to Say No
February 14, 2012 – Touring | Legal & Management | Branding | Rock & Pop
Adele's manager Jonathan Dickins spoke with Billboard.biz -- the day after his client won six Grammy Awards -- about her big night, touring plans, positive relations with record labels, commercial uses of her music and more. The said Grammy night was "like a fairy tale — something you dream about." » Full Story
Google Motorola.png Google Wins U.S., EU Approval For $12.5 Billion Motorola Bid
February 14, 2012 – Record Labels | Global | Digital & Mobile | Branding
Google's $12.5 billion bid to buy cellphone maker Motorola Mobility has won approvals from U.S. and European antitrust regulators, moving Google a major step closer to completing the biggest deal in its 13-year history.  If the deal is completed, Google stands to control Motorola's 17,000 patents which could greatly enhance its ability to compete with Apple, Microsoft and others tech companies. » Full Story
Christina Milian Signs to Young Money
February 14, 2012 – Record Labels | TV & Film | Branding | R&B/Hip-Hop
Christina Milian is joining Lil Wayne's Young Money crew. The R&B singer (and "The Voice" social media correspondent) announced the news on Twitter on Sunday. » Full Story
Grammys Spawn Record Levels of 'Social TV' Activity, Led By Adele, Chris Brown, Jennifer Hudson
February 13, 2012 – Record Labels | TV & Film | Digital & Mobile | Branding | Rock & Pop | R&B/Hip-Hop
Not only did people tune into Sunday night Grammys telecast, they created a record number of social media comments about the event. Last night's show saw social media peaks during Adele, Chris Brown and Jennifer Hudson's tribute to Whitney Houston as "social TV" grew tremendously over the last year. » Full Story
Photos: ?uestlove and DJ Cassidy Spin For Skylar Grey, Lonely Island @ Vevo Post-Grammy Party
February 13, 2012 – Backbeat | Record Labels | Digital & Mobile | Branding
Vevo hosted a post-Grammy party in L.A. Sunday night featuring guest DJs ?uestlove and DJ Cassidy spinning for stars such as Skylar Grey, Jorma Taccone and Akiva Schaffer from The Lonely Island, and Vevo General Manager Fred Santarpia. » Full Story
Backbeat: ASCAP Rhythm & Soul's Grammy Brunch With Ne-Yo, Paul Epworth, Ledisi
February 13, 2012 – Backbeat | Record Labels | Publishing | Retail | Branding
The 3rd annual ASCAP Rhythm and Soul Grammy brunch brought together Grammy nominees such as Paul Epworth, Ledisi and Kelly Price as well as recently appointed SVP of A&R at Motown Ne-Yo. » Full Story
Whitney Houston Remembered by Ne-Yo, Will.I.Am, More at Grammy Midnight Brunch
February 12, 2012 – Backbeat | Branding | R&B/Hip-Hop
News of Whitney Houston's death broke just hours before Ne-Yo's fourth annual Midnight Brunch at the Supper Club in Hollywood, Calif. on Saturday night, so needless to say a somber mood was cast over the event. Ne-Yo, Will.I.Am and others shared their memories of the singer. » Full Story
Whitney Houston Whitney Houston Dead at 48
February 11, 2012 – Touring | Record Labels | Global | TV & Film | Digital & Mobile | Retail | Branding | Rock & Pop | R&B/Hip-Hop
Whitney Houston, who reigned as pop music's queen until her majestic voice and regal image were ravaged by drug use, erratic behavior and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown, has died. She was 48. Publicist Kristen Foster said Saturday that the singer had died, but the cause and the location of her death were unknown. » Full Story
Backbeat: Nicolas Jaar Tours Globally, Launches Arts Collective, Changes Face of Music In Between Semesters
February 10, 2012 – Backbeat | Global | Legal & Management | Indies | Branding | Dance
It’s been a whirlwind two months for Nicloas Jaar. Hanging out at his sold-out Music Hall of Williamsburg show last week with Jaar, film maker and art collective partner Noah Kraft and Alastair Duncan of Infamous PR the young musician had his plate full with a global tour, launching an arts collective and, of course, dropping a top secret music format that could change how we listen to music... » Full Story
Google Seeking Digital Play for the Living Room, Closing to Motorolla Acquisition: Report
February 10, 2012 – Legal & Management | Digital & Mobile | Retail | Branding
Google is looking to expand further into the living room with a wireless home entertainment system that would rival Apple's AirPlay, and is also close to receiving approval over the acquisition of Motorola. » Full Story
Mary J. Blige 'Rooting For' Adele to Win Big on Grammy Night
February 10, 2012 – Touring | Record Labels | Branding | Rock & Pop | Dance | R&B/Hip-Hop
Mary J. Blige performed a 10-song set Thursday at a private show in Hollywood to help (RED) and Belevedere vodka raise funds for programs to fight HIV/AIDs in Africa. Before the show, MJB told Billboard.biz that she's "rooting for" Adele to win big at the Grammys on Sunday night. "I hope that she tears the house down,” she said. “I’m an Adele fan. I love what she’s done this year." » Full Story
Grammys Book Big Brands, Bigger Ad Rates As 30-Second Spots Command $800,000 Apiece
February 10, 2012 – TV & Film | Digital & Mobile | Branding
Pepsi, GM, Ford and Hyundai place big ads at Grammys, while Paul McCartney makes a rare appearance in an ad for Harman Kardon's JBL speakers. » Full Story
Backbeat: Raphael Saadiq Rocks, L.A. Mayor Villaraigosa Predicts Big Adele Grammy Wins @ Delta Party
February 10, 2012 – Touring | Backbeat | Record Labels | Branding
Quincy Jones, Estelle, Patti Austin and Christina Milian were in the house as Raphael Saadiiq performed and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa predicted that Adele will "walk away with a lot of Grammys" on Sunday. » Full Story
Backbeat: Grammy Camp Jazz Sessions Celebrates 20th Anniversary,
February 10, 2012 – Backbeat | Record Labels | TV & Film | Branding
The Grammy Camp is celebrating its 20th anniversary of giving aspiring high school singers a chance to further develop their musical abilities this year. » Full Story
Apple iPads Apple to Unveil New iPad in March (Report)
February 10, 2012 – Record Labels | Digital & Mobile | Branding
A news report says Apple plans to unveil a new iPad early next month. » Full Story
Business Matters: Embracing the Chaos Earns TuneCore $10,000 from iTunes Match
February 9, 2012 – Record Labels | Legal & Management | Digital & Mobile | Branding | Dance
How Apple iTunes Match has earned TuneCore $10K through a technique called "embracing the chaos. Also, Tiesto: DJ/App; and the endless bandwidth consumed bickering over piracy damage amounts, » Full Story
Backbeat: Yuna Gets Love From Pharrell, Cornerstone at Brooklyn Showcase
February 9, 2012 – Backbeat | Record Labels | Branding
Fader Label's Yuna performed a short set that doubled as a listening party for her new self-titled album out in March, while Pharrell discussed his recent collaborations and Fader Media CEO Andy Cohn had some choice words about previous employer Spin. » Full Story
Andre 3000, Gorillaz, LCD's James Murphy Team Up for Converse Track
February 9, 2012 – Global | Retail | Branding
As part of Converse Inc.'s continuing "Three Artists. One Song" campaign, Gorillaz, former LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy and Outkast rapper Andre 3000 have teamed up to write "DoYaThing," to be released Feb. 23 with a new Gorillaz footwear collection. » Full Story
Paul McCartney.jpg Paul McCartney To Debut New Songs On iTunes Streaming
February 9, 2012 – Record Labels | Global | Legal & Management | Digital & Mobile | Branding | Rock & Pop
Paul McCartney will debut the songs from his new album "Kisses on the Bottom" in a free live streaming performance on iTunes this morning. The news comes just as McCartney has pulled his catalog from subscription services. » Full Story
Rock Hall Adds Six Groups, Including Miracles, Crickets to List of Inductees
February 9, 2012 – Record Labels | Branding | Rock & Pop | R&B/Hip-Hop
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame says six additional groups, including  the Crickets, the Famous Flames, and the Miracles will be inducted this year after a committee determined they should be recognized with their previously enshrined original lead singers (which included Buddy Holly, James Brown and Smokey Robinson, repectively.) » Full Story
Backbeat: Grammy Glam Kicks Off Celebrations, Neil Portnow Discusses Protests
February 8, 2012 – Backbeat | Record Labels | Branding | Rock & Pop | Latin | R&B/Hip-Hop
Grammy Glam, presented by CoverGirl, Olay, and Venus and featuring guest DJs Erykah Badu and DJ Spinderella, last night kicked off the week of festivities leading up to the Grammy awards. The event also provided an opportunity for Recording Academy President Neil Portnow to comment on the planned protests against the Grammys' decision to cut 31 categories from this year's awards. » Full Story
AT&T-Samsung Sign Sponsorship Deal With Rag & Bone, Band of Horses To Play Launch
February 8, 2012 – Digital & Mobile | Branding | Rock & Pop
AT&T and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile) has inked a sponsorship pact with hot fashion brand rag & bone for the U.S. launch of Samsung’s new device, the Samsung Galaxy Note. Band Of Horses will perform the launch party on Feb. 14 in New York during fashion week. » Full Story
Bruno Mars Heads Back to Grammys With Smeezingtons
February 8, 2012 – Record Labels | Publishing | Branding | Rock & Pop | R&B/Hip-Hop
While Bruno Mars has six nominations for this Sunday's Grammy Awards -- including one for album of the year for the worldwide best-seller "Doo-Wops and Hooligans -- it's also the Smeezingtons time to shine. The trio is nominated in the producer of the year category for their hits with Mars, but also Lil Wayne and the Far East Movement. » Full Story
Super Bowl XLVI Super Bowl Seen Online Via Live Stream By 2.1 Million
February 8, 2012 – Touring | Digital & Mobile | Branding
The first ever live stream of the Super Bowl drew 2.1 million unique viewers, which according to NBC made it the most-watched single-game sports event online. » Full Story
 
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